May 14th from Noon – 2:00 p.m. in Goleta
The City of Goleta is teaming up with Visit Santa Barbara to provide a Lunch and Learn for local businesses on Thursday, May 14th from noon to 2:00 P.M. at Captain Fatty’s (6489 Calle Real, Goleta) which will cover how your business can get involved with the FIFA World Cup 2026TM. In case you didn’t know the United States, Mexico and Canada will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 this June – the first time the tournament will take place in North America in over thirty years! The City of Goleta is excited to serving as host city for Team Austria (ÖFB) as it trains at UCSB’s Harder Stadium during the tournament.
Just to provide some perspective, the World Cup is the world’s largest sporting event, attracting local and worldwide fans to come and watch the matches and cheer on their team. California will play host to several matches in Los Angeles and Santa Clara. This means a lot of fans will be visiting California this June, and locals will be looking to join in the tournament spirit and watch their team play.
The Lunch and Learn session on May 14th will be led by Beth Olson, Director of Sales at Visit Santa Barbara, and Cat Lopez, Business Development Manager at Visit Santa Barbara. They will cover everything that you need to know about the FIFA World Cup 2026 and will offer practical, revenue-generating ideas such as match-day watch parties, extended hours, elevated viewing experiences, and timely promotion strategies to help businesses maximize the opportunity presented by this major sporting event.
If you are a local business owner and want to learn about how to get involved, please RSVP to Membership@SantaBarbaraCA.com no later than May 12, 2026. Attendance is limited to 50 total participants with no more than two participants per organization. Lunch is sponsored by the City of Goleta and will be provided by Disfruta Mexican Food. Attendees may purchase beverages from Captain Fatty’s.
We look forward to seeing you then!